A Texas corporation is the new owner of the former federal building in Cape Girardeau.

The Southeast Missourian reports that RDRH Holdings Inc., based in Austin, Texas, closed the purchase Tuesday. Company President Majid Hemmasi says RDRH has bought government surplus property in the past. He says he would be interested in leasing or reselling the property to an entity in either the private or public sector. The old federal building sold for $325,015.

The building became obsolete when a new federal courthouse opened in Cape Girardeau.

Illinois residents have more time to register to vote in the state's primary.

The State Board of Elections said Wednesday that a grace period will allow Illinois residents to register or change their voting address. The grace period runs until March 13 at the state's 110 election authority offices. Those who participate must vote at the same election office where they register. They cannot vote early or at polling place on election day. The Illinois primary election is March 20.

Aides say Quinn will outline the depth of the state's pension and Medicaid problems Wednesday and discuss general solutions. But they acknowledge he won't spell out exactly what the governor thinks should be done. Quinn advisor Jerry Stermer told reporters Tuesday evening that the Governor will work with lawmakers and outside groups to negotiate solutions.

Five current and former prison inmates in Illinois are pressing forward with a federal lawsuit against the state claiming the amount of soy in their diets while behind bars caused them ``irreparable, actual harm.''

Their lawyer, Gary Cox, says he's found four expert witnesses to bolster the argument that their treatment violated the eighth amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. A judge could decide by September whether to take the case to trial.

A film festival in southern Illinois next week features a documentary about the Illinois town of Cairo.

The Big Muddy Film Festival runs Feb. 21-26 at locations in Carbondale and Murphysboro. The documentary "Between Two Rivers" will be screened Friday at 1 p.m. at the University Museum in Carbondale. The film compares Cairo's troubled past with the challenges the town faced during the record-breaking 2011 floods.

A 14-year-old Jackson County girl who police say left a St. Louis hospital with her non-custodial father has been found safe at a hospital in Milwaukee.

Doctors were concerned about the medical condition of Brittany Jones of Elkville, who underwent a kidney transplant at Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center in St. Louis in 2010. She was back in the hospital with complications when she was reportedly removed by her father on Sunday.

While Illinois veterans are faring better than most others nationwide in terms of finding work, they still face challenges.

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics says the average unemployment rate last year for Illinois veterans who served after the 2001 terror attacks was 9.5 percent. The unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans nationwide was 12.1 percent.

Illinois government offices will be closed Monday in observance of President Abraham Lincoln's birthday.

Lincoln was born on Feb. 12, 1809. Government offices including Secretary of State facilities, courthouses and local libraries will be closed. Lincoln's Birthday isn't a federal holiday and is only observed in a handful of states.

The Abraham Lincoln Association will celebrate the 16th president's 203rd birthday with two days of presentations on the theme of Lincoln and the Civil War.

Illinois U.S. Senator Mark Kirk has left the Chicago hospital where he was treated after his stroke last month and has been transferred to a rehabilitation center.

Dr. Richard Harvey of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago says a team of experts will spend the next few days assessing the 52-year-old republican's condition. They will also design a rehabilitation program for him.The doctor said Fridaythat Kirk's good general health and fitness level before his stroke will work in his favor as he continues to recover.

The Healthcare and Family Services Department told aides to President Barack Obama this week that they have waited a year for the go-ahead on their plan and will not wait anymore. Director Julie Hamos told the Chicago Tribune that officials will begin checking addresses of Medicaid recipients against driver's license records to ensure they live in Illinois. Another plan to check income eligibility is forthcoming.